1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to carriers for objects such as bottles, and in particular, to carriers which retain the objects therein even when tipped or inverted.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Basket type carriers as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,632 have a box-like structure with an open top and a handle extending thereacross. When used for carrying bottles, the basket carriers have individual compartments formed by a plurality of dividers or partitions separating the bottles. The basket carriers have the disadvantage that they must be maintained in an upright position or else the bottles will fall out the open tops of the carriers. Wrap-around carriers, such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,181,727, generally use a one piece blank which is wrapped around a plurality of objects and then fastened together at the top or bottom to hold the bottles together; this type carrier is commonly known as a six-pack carrier. Wrap around carriers are more economical than basket carriers because bottles can be packaged in the wrap-around carriers up machines at a faster rate than the basket carriers can be assembled and bottles placed therein, and because the wrap around carriers utilize less paper board then the standard basket carriers. The wrap around carriers generally have the disadvantage that the carrier is ripped apart or otherwise destroyed when the objects are removed, thus preventing customer mixing of different beverages in the same six-pack or reuse of the carrier for storage or return of empty bottles.
As illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,997,169, 3,348,672 and 3,687,282, prior art carriers have been provided with a number of preforated portions or partial severed sections in order to allow the carrier to be torn or ripped apart to remove objects from the carrier. My U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,801 discloses a particular wrap-around carrier with a top portion which can be torn open to thus convert the wrap-around carrier into a basket carrier.